‘"Through his dad and his uncle, we didn’t think Drew could be anything but an Oiler, but, hey, Buffalo got him," said Barrie, who keeps tabs on his nephew and talks to him once a month or so. He jokingly says he’s got a cadre of buddies (training staff, maybe even officials) looking out for Drew in whichever rink he’s playing in. "This will be the first time I’ve ever seen him play live," said Barrie.’

‘I guess what is surprising is how many fans are here for every single event. At the same time it is Montreal so I shouldn’t be too surprised but it’s just crazy here. Even the morning skate was sold out. It’s pretty neat to see.’

‘Gragnani (3/11/1987, 6’1”, 180 lbs.) is fourth among all AHL blueliners with 30 points (4+26) in 44 games this season. Gragnani is fifth on Portland in scoring, and his 26 assists are tied for the team lead. He is also +3, along with 34 PIMs. This will be Gragnani’s second NHL recall to Buffalo; he appeared in two games last season.’

‘”When you start looking at the All-Star break and the whole next week, without the Sabres out there for that long, was probably a mistake,” Quinn said. “I’m glad that fans were mad that we weren’t going to be on, and I’m glad that we’re able to accommodate the fact that they have that much passion for it.”‘

‘True, the Sabres probably aren’t going to reach Boston at the top of the conference and that makes it a near certainty that the highest they can finish is fourth place, but big deal. Buffalo has looked good against Boston — and for that matter, most of the top teams in the NHL — this season.’